“Oooo PATrick! Oooo PATrick. Good bird!”

Patrick the Quaker parrot is a compact flurry of green and grey feathers with a voice that belongs on a much bigger bird. He loves to hear himself talk.

“Good morning good morning,” he says any time you enter the room. For Patrick, it’s always morning somewhere.

Patrick has a great sense of humor. He mimics a human laugh perfectly. He loves to fill up any silence with his sounds; often in our house, a quiet prayer or a moment alone with a book will be interrupted by a hearty “HahahaHaha Ha ha!”

Patrick is a rescue. His beak grows crookedly, requiring periodic attention to even it up. Though the procedure doesn’t hurt him, he hates it. Afterward, he will sit in a corner of his cage and mutter darkly to himself.

I enjoy hearing Patrick talk. Whether he is happy with me or not, his chatter brightens my day. He is especially charming when he says things back to me in my own voice.

God is the same way. He loves to hear what His children have to say. No matter how you feel — if you are hurt or happy, frightened or fabulous, He wants to have a dialogue with you. Go ahead. Talk to your Father, often, beginning now.